WorldWide Drilling Resource

30 SEPTEMBER 2019 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Family Legacy Continues for Over 70 Years Adapted from Information by SEMCO, Inc. The history of the SEMCO Pump Hoist dates back a few years, before the business was known as SEMCO, Inc. That’s when John Sutphin Sr. moved his family from California to Colorado, and began his family’s legacy with Sutphin’s Electric Motor Works. In 1948, John Sr. started a small electric motor shop in Lamar, Colorado, on North Fifth Street. John Sr., along with his wife Floris and sons Bob and John Jr., ran the business as a family. Floris and their sons, at the young ages of nine and ten, would help rewind the motors for repair. Years passed, and the business continued. Around 1968, a grown John Jr. was living in Wyoming, and had started a family of his own. When he learned his parents were unable to run the business anymore, he made the decision to move back to Lamar and purchase the business from his par- ents. He eventually built a new shop on Main Street in the early 1970s and spent a few years there running Lamar Pump Supply. John Jr. eventually moved his motor shop out to the pres- ent-day location on Highway 50, where the business began to expand. The first SEMCO Pump Hoist was actually built in 1969, and since then, the company has built well over 2000 units. Some original pump hoists are still in working condition. Occasionally, the SEMCO Team will get a call from a customer with an older serial number, and they really enjoy hearing how these hoists are still operational. Since the first hoist was built, there have been a lot of changes with engineering. SEMCO has a simple design which makes operating and serv- icing easy for customers. Not only are SEMCO Pump Hoists sold within the continental U.S. and Canada, there are also several in Alaska and Hawaii, as well as in Africa, Australia, South America, and Central America. The largest order placed was sent to Ethiopia, a grand total of 13 pump hoists. Currently, SEMCO Pump Hoist is manufacturing several models, ten to be exact. In 2018, the high demand for a larger pump hoist moved the company to cre- ate just that, the S35,000. The first S35,000 was built in August of 2018, and was shipped to Santiago, Chile. Another was displayed at the National Ground Water Expo in December of 2018, and was sold to a frequent customer from Texas. The company also offers well pulling tools: pipe elevators, pipe holders, fishing tools, surge blocks, and hydrorenches. History continues to be made every day at SEMCO as the company continues to seek out new ways to provide drilling professionals with high-quality tools and equipment. John, Sr. photgraphed as he leaned against the truck. John, Jr. WTR WWDR photo from Groundwater Week 2018. WWDR captured this great photo of John Jr., John III, and John IV. The S35,000 is the newest model of SEMCO pump hoist. 719-336-9006 semcopumphoist@gmail.com SEMCOofLamar.com